Our Team

Who We Are

As an early leader in outdoor education, we've been crafting unique expeditions in the Southwest since 1926. Nestled in Albuquerque, NM, our non-profit, 501c3 organization boasts a 550-acre Basecamp in Thoreau, NM, providing a gateway to unparalleled outdoor experiences. To us, adventure is more than conquering peaks; it's about understanding the story behind each summit. Knowledge is the foundation of excitement, and we believe in fully experiencing the wonder of the Southwest by seeking to understand and appreciate it. This passion is the driving force behind what we do and why we love doing it.

Meet the Dedicated Team at Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions

Embark on a journey of exploration and education with the passionate and diverse team at Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions. Get to know the individuals who contribute their skills, experiences, and love for the outdoors to make every Gulch adventure unforgettable.

Click on the team member name to read their bio.

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Abby Polakoff

Program & Operations Coordinator

(she/her)

Abby was born and raised in the farm country of northern Maryland, where she spent lots of time catching critters, climbing trees, and getting very muddy in streams. She knew from a very young age that she was passionate about pursuing a career in the outdoors, partially from how much she loved her Gulch trips as a trekker. In 2019, she graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Outdoor Experiential Education and a minor in Leadership Studies. Since then, Abby has worked with kiddos in many different regions of the country facilitating programs focused around community building, wilderness skills, and adventure education. She first worked at the Gulch in 2019 as trek staff and on the operations team, and has popped in and out of the Gulch community ever since. Now working for the Gulch full time, she is excited to call Albuquerque home. You will rarely find Abby without her pup Oakley, who accompanies her on all sorts of adventures. This dynamic duo enjoys exploring the city, playing frisbee, and spending lots of time with their new Gulch family.

 

Abby Polakoff

Program & Operations Coordinator

abby.polakoff@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Andrew Pearson

Director of Operations

(he/him)

 Andrew is originally from Pennsylvania, but bounced around the Northwoods of Wisconsin for a handful of years before finally settling down in New Mexico. He studied engineering but much prefers the hands-on nature of working at the Gulch; each day brings new challenges, from cleaning out latrines and catching rattlesnakes to fixing trucks at the top of Mt Taylor. On his own time Andrew loves repairing motorcycles, exploring the desert on his bicycle, and reading Jules Verne.

Andrew Pearson

Director of Operations

andrew.pearson@cottonwoodgulch.org

 

Brad Jeffrey

Brad Jeffrey

Development Coordinator

(he/him)

Brad came to the Gulch as a field educator during the fall 2019 season after completing a Ph.D. in Geology at the University of New Mexico. He spent much of his youth exploring the forests, rivers, and lakes of his home state of Wisconsin. Brad notes that he is fascinated and humbled by the endless wilderness, rich culture, and history of New Mexico – and the rocks are great too! His favorite parts of a trek are breakfast, summiting a peak, bonfire, and fitting in an exciting geology lesson or jam session when the opportunity presents itself. Brad is a passionate educator and appreciates the rewarding moments when one of the trekkers realizes that they love something they learned about a place, or about themselves. As Development Coordinator, he enjoys getting to know the extended Gulch family and community and to help support the outstanding and historic programs through fundraising.

 

Brad Jeffrey

Development Coordinator

development@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Carrie Dalrymple

Development Director

(she/her)

Carrie has fond memories of visiting her grandparents each summer during her childhood and hiking in the Absaroka Wilderness in Montana and Wyoming. A desire to move west was instilled early and was finally realized when she moved to New Mexico in 2001 with her husband and two young children. Raising her children in a place where they could still experience the wild places of the world has been so important to Carrie. She believes that time spent immersed in nature can be transformative: physically, mentally and spiritually.  She has a BA in psychology and a Master of Social Work from the University of Houston where she specialized in nonprofit administration. She has since put her talents to use for a variety of nonprofit organizations in the areas of education, community development, community foundations and advocacy for children in foster care. Her love of the New Mexico landscape and of working with children and youth is what drew her to Cottonwood Gulch, where she has the privilege of spreading the word about their wonderful and life-changing programming for children and youth.

Carrie Dalrymple

Development Director

carrie.dalrymple@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Cass Landrum

Summer Programs Director

(she/her)

Cass hails from Round Rock, Texas where she grew up romping through wildflowers and asking everyone she encountered to play a game with her. Growing up in Texas has made her appreciate the abundance and diversity of public lands in the Southwest. She received a degree in Environmental Studies from SUNY Purchase, then held outdoor education jobs in New York, North Carolina, California and Texas before taking a job with Cottonwood Gulch and settling down in New Mexico. She spent her first summer with Outfit and the following six as the resident Naturalist, during which time she became the Bachechi caretaker and Associate Director managing school group programs until 2018. After taking a year off (partially to go on tour with former Gulch Director Mike Sullivan’s band Powersolo), she continued coordinating with schools to facilitate field trips in northern New Mexico, before returning to Cottonwood Gulch in 2023 as the Summer Programs Director. Through more than 10 years of guiding students and families in the outdoors, Cass estimates that she has belayed over 1000 children, taken down over 500 tents, and participated in over 100 treks. When not leading educational outdoor experiences, she can be found walking her dog Duck, dusting off carboniferous plant fossils, or leading group fitness classes.

 

Cass Landrum

Summer Programs Director

cass.landrum@cottonwoodgulch.org

Clara-Bewley

Clara Bewley

Community Education Coordinator

(she/they)

Clara was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She spent much of her early life in her family’s gardens and at their aerobatic aircraft engine shop where she developed a strong foundation in systems thinking and an intense interest in understanding the interconnectedness of all things. Clara graduated from Colorado School of Mines in 2020 with a degree in geological engineering. Throughout her college years, she tutored middle and high school students in math and science, worked as a peer mentor for first year students, and spent two summers at the Gulch as naturalist and program staff. During this time she fell in love with the Southwest and the resilience of its people, plants, and animals. She spent two years working as an engineer in remediation, geologic hazard mitigation, and infrastructure before coming back to the Gulch full time. Clara is passionate about equitable access to the outdoors, community resilience, and environmental literacy, and hopes to share her curiosity about the world, its people, and its systems with her SIWI students and summer trekkers. In her free time, Clara enjoys roller skating, fiber arts, reading, and eating soul food.

Clara Bewley

Community Education Coordinator

clara.bewley@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Donna White

Food Coordinator

(she/her)

Donna White joined the Gulch in 2020. She has been working in outdoor education since 2002 with various organizations. Before the Gulch, Donna was a field instructor with Outward Bound Costa Rica. While she has experience in rafting, white water kayaking, sea kayaking, and scuba diving, her passion lies in the mountains and hiking. Donna is excited to explore the mountains of the Southwest and already has a love for them! Donna notes that she has always been an outdoor girl and is thankful to be able to incorporate her love of nature into her profession. A close second to her love of hiking is her love of food–another reason she is excited to be working with the Gulch. Donna is the new Food Coordinator as well as a field educator. She worked in the food industry for many years, was a pastry chef for several restaurants, owned a catering company for 25 years, and most recently worked as head chef for a sorority house at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Although food is also a hobby for her , she also enjoys painting and making jewelry.

 

Donna White

Food Coordinator

food@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Iris Flechsenhaar

Bachechi Open Space Caretaker

(she/her)

Iris is the caretaker of this beautiful, inspiring 27 acres of open space in Albuquerque that is managed by Cottonwood Gulch. She cares for the cottonwoods, the grape vines, the pecan grove, wetlands, woodlands, pollinator and rose gardens, the Little Free Library and the wildlife who call this space, home. She  educates visitors on how to walk with respect and teaching stewardship with conservation and preservation in mind. Iris coordinates free Sunday Family Funday and Speaker Series events for the public to enjoy as they learn about our local environment - the Rio Grande floodplain, known as "El Bosque." Iris manages reservations at the Environmental Education Building, engages the community in volunteer work on the open space, and works closely coordinating with the Gulch on school programming at Bachechi.  Iris notes that she loves what she does working on the land and working with the people, interacting with donkeys, a parrot, plentiful dogs, and other pets. She loves playing frisbee and having wild and crazy “dance parties”, creating deep, spiritual experiences on the land. Living and working at Bachechi gives Iris the perfect opportunity to enrich her life and grow expansively in the areas of deepening healing practices, herbalism, gardening, composting, self-sustainability, natural-coexisting practices, building and designing cob cottages, and learning about art and technique. 

Iris Flechsenhaar

Bachechi Open Space Caretaker

bachechi@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Jordan Stone

Executive Director

(he/him)

Jordan first came to Cottonwood Gulch In 2007, as a road cook for the Prairie Trek. He quickly recognized Cottonwood Gulch as an organization full of intelligent, curious, and quirky people, and since then his love for the Gulch has only grown. Jordan has held multiple roles within the organization and was honored to step into the role of Executive Director in 2020. Outside of the Gulch, he has served as the Conservation Program Manager for Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Albuquerque, worked on an urban organic farm in Wisconsin, and trained in outdoor skills at the National Outdoor Leadership School. He keeps bees, tends a garden, loves to write, and spends plenty of time exploring New Mexico’s abundant public lands. Jordan holds a BA from Pomona College, and a Masters degree in Geography and Environmental Studies (if you’d like to have a conversation about how different people and communities think about “nature”–quite relevant to the Gulch experience–Jordan is a willing participant) from the University of New Mexico. He lives in Albuquerque with his wife, Ellen, who teaches third grade and takes her students outside whenever possible, and their two children, Josephine and Rowan.

 

Jordan Stone

Executive Director

director@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Naina Panthaki

Director of Education

(she/her)

Naina was born and raised Burqueña. She received her BS in Elementary Education with a focus in math and science from UNM. She built her foundation in the New Mexico public school system teaching math, science and engineering classes in Title I schools. Her first year with the Gulch was as a classroom teacher taking her students on regular outdoor adventures, growing the program each year. During her last three years as a classroom teacher, she partnered with the Gulch's Students in Wilderness Initiative (SIWI) Program, taking her 8th-grade students deeper into a year-long wilderness experience. In 2018, Naina began work with the Gulch's summer treks, specifically the Paleo Trek, as program staff, cook, and group leader. She has one fabulous daughter, Layla who is a high schooler and avid Gulch summer trekker. Both Naina and her daughter love to sing, dance, laugh loudly, and spend time in nature.

 

Naina Panthaki

Director of Education

naina.panthaki@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Olivia Marín

Enrollment and Communications Manager

(she/her)

Olivia grew up between Denver, Colorado and the southern coast of Spain. Her parents encouraged her to go outside whenever possible; to climb rocks, make mud pies, and try to spot a fairy's home through the trees. In 2012, she moved to New Mexico to study flamenco through the University of New Mexico. She earned her BA in Environmental Planning and Design with a minor in Sustainability Studies in 2016, was accepted as an Exploring Equitable Education Outdoors Fellow in 2020 and joined the Gulch later that same year.  She continues to dance flamenco professionally and spends her free time biking through the Bosque, hiking in the Sandias and marveling at the sky scapes of the Southwest. 

Olivia Marín

Enrollment & Communications Manager

olivia.marin@cottonwoodgulch.org

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Orlando Romero

Office Manager

(he/him)

Orlando has worn many hats and often wears more than one at a same time: father and husband, marathon running coach, USGS hydrologist, soccer coach, martial artist, University of New Mexico rock climbing instructor, substitute teacher, Department of Defense bicycle mechanic, and general purveyor of human-powered pursuits. If you talk to him long enough, you will likely discover something about him that will surprise you. After quitting his grown up job a few years back, Orlando accidently discovered the Gulch from a friend/past student and has been involved ever since. No stranger to helping people dig deeper than they thought they could, he is a profoundly passionate believer in the transformative experiences that trekkers have while participating in Cottonwood Gulch adventures. Orlando has some official-looking papers, among them a BS in Applied Mathematics, a minor in Fine Arts, and a Masters in Water Resources/Hydroscience (all from UNM). His current paper is an American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor certification. Orlando hopes to someday figure out what he will be when he grows up.

 

Orlando Romero

Office Manager

orlando.romero@cottonwoodgulch.org

Tanner-Johnson

Tanner Johnson

Community Education Coordinator

(he/they)

Tanner grew up in the forests and tidelands of the Pacific Northwest and spent most of his early years stumbling through nettles and scraping his knees on the rocky shores of the Oregon Coast. He worked with food in various capacities for many years, as a cook, server, farmer, and garden educator before deciding to go back to school. At Western Washington University, Tanner took part in a residency-based M.Ed program in North Cascades National Park, where he also earned certificates in Northwest Natural History and Nonprofit Administration and Management. He spends his free time undertaking big kitchen projects, making brooms, birding, hiking, gardening, and generally poking around in riparian areas. 

Tanner Johnson

Community Education Coordinator

tanner.johnson@cottonwoodgulch.org

Our Mission and Vision

Our Mission

Cottonwood Gulch creates outdoor learning adventures for youth from all backgrounds that foster personal growth, strengthen community, and inspire stewardship of the natural world.

Our Vision

Cottonwood Gulch envisions a global community grounded in reverence for the Southwestern U.S., and respect for the lands, waters, and human cultures of the world.